8 hours & a lunch

practicing creativity leads to creating the life you choose

Using creative tools and applying concepts of creativity can lead to a more enriched and fulfilling life.  It can lead to living the the life you choose to create. How?

Everything Is Created

Consider this:  all things in life are created.  Everything you see and all the circumstances of your life once did not exist, and now they do.  

Do you remember a time when we didn’t have cell phones?  Or how about that iPod you use for your run?  There was a time, even, when electricity didn’t exist.  

In fact, everything is first created in someone’s mind, and then made into reality in the world.

Just like that iPod, someone had to first come up with the idea in their mind, and then do the work to create it.  

And once these things are created, we don’t just leave them as they are for all eternity, do we?  We have new ideas and those things are improved upon, right?  That’s the way we get from computers that take up an entire room to the small laptop notebook that you might be reading this post on right now. 

Your Life Works The Same Way

Your life, right now, is the result of how you’ve created it through the thoughts you’ve had, the actions you’ve taken, the choices you’ve made, the way you’ve lived and the things you’ve done.  

That can sometimes be a difficult thing for us to swallow.  But that’s good news. 

Because this means that you can start now, today, to create new thoughts, new patterns, new behaviors that will lead to the future you first see in your mind.  

And things don’t have to be that bad.  Even if things are good, but you’re ready to move to the next level in your life, the same thing is true for you.  

It starts with an idea.  It starts with creating an idea of what it is you want in your life.  And then creating that out in the world.

Wish For It And It Will Come To You

I’m not just talking about “wish for it and it will come to you,”  or “do what you love and the money will follow.”  Because life doesn’t really work like that.  There is action that is required.  There’s work to be done.  

But changing your thoughts, your patterns, your habits, the way that you engage others and the way that you are in the world, does create the results you see in your life. 

What Can Living More Creatively Teach Us About Life?

1)  Creativity requires focused attention, which teaches us to be more aware.  

To create something new, we first have to be fully aware of what exists now.  

Most of us have struggled with weight on some level, right?  What happens?  We let go.  We don’t pay attention.  We’re having a good time.  And one day?  We put on those jeans and they don’t fit quite right.  So we jump on the scale and find that we’ve gained ten pounds.  

And what do we do?  We get intently focused on what we’re eating and how much we’re working out.    

Attention, awareness, learning to listen to what is going on in our inner lives and around us is one thing we can increase by using certain creative tools.

2)  Creativity requires acknowledging reality, where things are right now.  

Many people think that creativity is rooted in fantasy.  It’s not.  It’s rooted in reality.  To create something that represents the way you want them to be, you first have to know how things are now.  

In order to see things in a different way, you first have to see them as they are.

Then, you can start to look for the ways you'd like things to be.

3)  Creativity requires curiosity, seeking new ways of doing things, and a willingness see all possibilities.  

Here’s the secret.  Until one fully acknowledges not only where they are, but all the possibilities regarding a circumstance in their life, they are not truly making a choice.    

The choices might seem frightening.  

Or we may not like all the choices we have.  

But the truth is that you can leave that job, where you live, even that relationship.  And until you see all the possibilities, all the choices you can make, staying in that job, that location, and even that relationship becomes a default decision and leaves you with a sense of ‘having no choice’ and in a victim mentality.   

We sometimes become afraid to accept the range of choices that we actually do have in our life.  We’re afraid to see the possibilities.  

But acknowledging that the option is there, doesn’t mean that that is the choice you make.  It just makes your choice a stronger choice, an empowered choice, a choice that comes from love, not fear.  

Practicing creativity, living creatively, teaches us to see possibility and make conscious choices about the life we are creating.  

4)  Creativity requires courage.   

There are common blocks to creativity and creative living.  As we expand the way we look at our lives, as we think of new approaches and new ways of doing things, we face these blocks and melt them away.  

We consciously choose to not search for perfection, but to do our best work in any given moment.   We put our work out there, and learn how to deal with other people’s opinions of us.   

Through this process, we become more honest.  First, with ourselves.  Then, with others.   We learn to set our own boundaries, goals, and go after authentic dreams.  We become more autonomous.  

And as we experience small shifts and small successes, we gain confidence.  We begin to do as Thoreau recommended and “go confidently in the direction of your dreams.”

Traditionally Creative/Living Creatively

You may believe that you are not creative.  You may not be ‘traditionally creative’.  Maybe you don’t paint or dance or act.  But you create every day.  

Cooking is creative.  Finding new business solutions or products requires creative thinking.  If you negotiate with your kids or find compromises with your boss or coworkers, you’re creating a new solution, a new approach.

If things seem off kilter, or just not quite right.  

Or maybe they’re good, but you’d like them to be better.  

Or maybe you’re not sure how you got where you are.  

Start using creative tools, practice creativity, stop living by default, and start creating the life you have already created in your mind.

All the best!

deb

P.S.  Do you know where you want to be in 5 years?  5 months?  5 weeks? Don't let life happen *to* you - learn to live more creatively and create the life you want.  Or, find out how you need to be creative in business to make your creative business thrive.   What are you waiting for?

P.P.S  Be sure to subscribe to the RSS feed in the right hand sidebar.  And sign up for the djo Creative newsletter here.

common blocks to creativity (and life)

Many of us dream of being more creative, or of creating a life where we're living at the next level.  As we begin to move in that direction, we often run into some common types of blocks.  Maybe the things you're using to hold yourself back include:

1)  Investing in others - While being a contribution in other people’s lives is a key component to a happy, healthy, worthwhile life, investing too much in the lives, hopes, and dreams of others can be a device we use to keep us from fulfilling our own.  

Especially if we’re a rescuer and keep crazymakers in our lives, at times, others can become a block that we use to lead the fulfilling life we truly desire.

2)  Hoarding - We stop the flow of creativity and of the ebb and flow of life when we begin to become afraid to let anything go.  We might go so far as to become stingy.  

This energy in our lives and flow of creativity works much like a garden hose.  Water comes out the spigot, and flows through the hose and out onto the lawn, creating a beautiful landscape.  

But once you begin thinking of how much you can get and hold on to, it’s like bending that hose tight, which cuts off any water going out.  But it also cuts off any more water coming in and through.  (And requires a great deal of energy to hold on that tightly!)

3)  Scarcity Thinking - We convince ourselves that there isn’t enough time, or enough money to do what we want to do, or that there aren’t enough ideas to go around.  We determine that resources are limited.  And that must mean there isn’t enough out there for us.  

4)  Perfectionism - We’re afraid that people won’t like our work, or whatever it is we want to do.  So spend time trying to make something perfect so that no one can ever say it isn’t ‘good enough’.  

Perfectionism will erode your self-esteem and prevent you from doing the things you want in your life.  Seeking perfection, you will compare your work, your relationships, your parenting skills, to others who you perceive are ‘doing it better’.  (Or, even against your own ‘too high standard’. )  

But you always find yourself falling short.  You tell yourself all the ways you don’t measure up.  

5)  Jealousy -  We begin to look at the success of others and think, “Well sure, I could do that too, if I had.....(that kind of time, that kind of money, that kind of talent, etc.)  The thoughts we have about ‘their work’ generally ends with us doing as well or better than they did.  

And usually, we’re comparing our own inner struggles with how things appear to be on the outside of the other person’s life.  When in reality, we have no idea what is going on inside their life.  

But often, while we’re looking at what we perceive others having that we don’t, we’re usually not taking any action ourselves.  We’re jealous of the coworker who escapes the toxic work environment, but we don’t even have our resume together.  We’re jealous of the award-winning screenwriter, but we aren’t writing.  

6)  Our Past - We submitted articles to magazines, and they weren’t accepted.  We applied for the jobs we thought we wanted and didn’t get them.  We got married young, and it didn’t work.  So we begin to wonder why we would expect things to be any different.  

But things can be different.  

It is possible to work through all of these blocks and live a richer, more rewarding life.  In giving up the stories we tell ourselves about our past, and choosing different thoughts and actions today, we can create a better present and the future we envision.

What are you using to stay blocked in your life?

What can you begin to think and do differently today to create the life you want?

All the best!

deb

P.S.  Do you know where you want to be in 5 years?  5 months?  5 weeks?  Do you use any of these common blocks in your life?  Don’t let life happen *to* you - learn to live more creatively and create the life you want.  Check this out to see what people are experiencing in this course and what they’re saying.  And then sign up because registration ends tomorrow!  

a clue of things to come

There are some great things in the works with djo Creative. Here's a sneak peek:  

All the best! 

deb 

P.S. Do you know where you want to be in 5 years? Are you living your life at the level you desire? Do you want to enhance your creativity or live a more creative, fulfilling life? If you need help in those areas, see what changes people have experienced and what they're saying about this telecourse. Space is limited and registration ends Friday, July 31 - so sign up today.

you're known by the company you keep

“Life is partly what we make it, and partly what it is made by the friends we choose” - Tennessee Williams

Growing up, most of us were taught to choose our friends wisely.  And we know that our choice of spouse can have one of the greatest influences on the course of our lives over the long-term.  What we can forget at times, is what those in our lives can show us.

Like Attracts Like

Creative people like creative people.  Intelligent people like talking to other intelligent people.  Those who are religious tend to have friends and family who are also religious.  Successful people tend to hang out with other successful people.  

People who are concerned with health and working out?  You got it.  They tend to hang out with people who are concerned with health and working out.

What Do Your Friends Say About You

Look around.  What common traits do your friends have?  Can you see those traits in yourself?    

What are there standards?  How do they live?  What do they do?  What are the common beliefs that they hold?  

Are these the same standards and beliefs you hold?   Are these the ways you want to live and things you want to do?  

Make a list of the common qualities you see running through the people you have relationships with in your life.  Have there been qualities you’ve been searching for in others that aren’t there?  

Want to Attract Better Relationships?

Whether we’re talking about friends, dating, or even clients, do you want to attract better, stronger, healthier relationships?  

The way you treat yourself, the way you think about yourself, will attract others who treat themselves (and you) in the same way.  

If you’re aware of certain qualities and attributes you desire in your relationships, do you possess those qualities and attributes?

If you want to be more confident, write down what a person with a high level of confidence would think, do, and be.

What types of thoughts does a person with confidence have?  What types of things would that person do? 

Take it even further.  As you consider the life you want to live,  where would a person with that kind of life hang out?  What activities would that person be engaged in?

Do you do those things?  Are those activities you’re engaged in?  

The Level of Your Life

On a scale of 1-10, where would you rate the level of your life?  Your health?  Your business?  Your attitude and energy?  Roll it all up into one.  At what level do you want to be living your life?  What types of things would a person living at that level think, do, or be?

What attribute can you cultivate that you want to attract in others today?

What thoughts can you choose that reflect the qualities you desire today?

What activity can you do today that would reflect the life and relationships you want?

Try it for 30 days.  

And then let me know where you are a month from now.

All the best!

deb

P.S.  Do you know where you want to be in 5 years?  Are you living your life at the level you desire?  Do you want to enhance your creativity or live a more creative, fulfilling life?  If you need help in those areas, see what changes people have experienced working with Deb. 

you found your purpose. but do you know what your values are?

Building the lives we dream of requires personal responsibility.  Taking personal responsibility for our lives involves more than just knowing our purpose.  Knowing our purpose leads us to knowing our values, and hopefully living congruently with those values.  

But the Problem Is......

 The workaholic who arrives home only to begin overeating, gambling with his buddies, and spending tremendous amounts of time online to the detriment of his career and family throws up his hands and says, “I have an addictive personality.  I can’t help it.  That’s just the way I am.”  

He makes himself a victim of his own personality characteristics.

And perhaps he does have real issues to deal with.  

But the difference is between the guy who turns it into an excuse to live outside what he believes his values should be, and the person who recognizes these issues and traits, does the inner work,  and begins to deliberately choose his values and take actions that are then congruent with the principles he believes are true.

The Harsh Truth

The truth is that the actions we take and where we choose to spend our time tells us what our true values and priorities are, regardless of what we may tell ourselves that they are.  This can be difficult to face, and so the downward spiral begins.

The Downward Spiral

When someone makes the choice to live their life differently from their stated values, they become increasingly insecure, afraid of ‘being found out’.  They become more and more stressed as they attempt to control things around them and ‘appear perfect’.  

Guilt and shame can begin to take hold, increasing the insecurity and decreasing self-esteem.  All of this, of course, undermines relationships, careers, and all areas of life.  

Why Inner Work is So Important

If the person I’ve described attempts to change, but does not do the inner work?  The ‘new, better behavior’ is unlikely to continue for very long.  This person might exhibit external behaviors, usually with good intention, that superficially appear that he has turned a new leaf.

But without addressing the underlying problems, and truly aligning his behavior with rediscovered or reset values, the disparity between his values and actions will return and lead down the same path he’s just traveled.  

It All Works Together

Just as productivity tools aren’t effective when not connected with purpose, attempting external behavioral changes without connecting them to our values and who we are, tends to be not only difficult short-lived as well.

It isn’t always easy.  But it is possible to turn things around.  There is hope.  

The first thing to do?  Stop.  

Then take that long, hard look at where you are now, with a dose of humility and forgiveness for yourself.  

Let go of the past.  

And start now.  Start using tools to discover your purpose and values, doing the inner work while being aware and noticing the external behaviors.  

Knowing your purpose and your values, will begin to evolve into a guide for where you spend your time and what you do.  And it will come easier, because it will come from a strong sense of who you are.

Do you know what values are driving you?

Are you actively choosing your values and living by them? 

All the best!

deb

P.S.  Do you know where you want to be in 5 years?  Do you know what your values are and you living in line with them?  Do you want to enhance your creativity or live a more creative, fulfilling life?  If you need help in those areas, see what changes people have experienced and what they say about working with Deb.  

all the news that's fit to print

Just a couple of quick updates.

1)  The next Creative Pathways course starts soon.  Do you know where you want to be in 5 years?    Do you want to enhance your creativity or live a more creative, fulfilling life?  If you need help in those areas, see what changes people have experienced and what they're saying about this telecourse.  Space is limited and registration ends Friday, July 31 - so sign up today.  

2)  There are a couple of one-on-one coaching spots that will be opening up soon.  Shoot me an email for more info.

And keep checking back, because there are new courses coming up, including courses for creative pros out there.  And there something is happening soon that I'm very excited about......

In the meantime, here are a couple of things you should not miss:

1)  Tim Brownson writes the ultimate guide to goal-setting.  (It's very long and might provoke you to take some action.)

2)  Dave Navarro is offering a free manifesto (email not even required) on how to invest one hour a week to free up 1000 hours a year.  

3)  Ken at Mildly Creative has a fantastic 5-part series on How to Be Authentic With People Who Love You But Don't Understand You (read all 5)

Enjoy!

Have a great weekend!

All the best!

deb

oops i did it again (what do when when you slip up)

Creativity, living in a creative way, and changing habits all require awareness.  It requires knowing what's going on, what we're doing and what we're thinking.  This is the reason that enriching your creative side, whether it's writing or cooking or just seeing things in a different way, can lead to a living a more fulfilling life.  It leads us to greater awareness.  

And remember that what we're after is not becoming aware and becoming resigned, but learning to be present to what is without resistance.

We become aware and we begin to make positive changes that lead us to living a life the way we choose to live it.  And then it happens.

Oops, I Did It Again

If we're too nice (to the point of self-destruction), we call the friend with the victim mentality, just to 'check in' and get sucked back into the drama.

Or if we're a crazy-maker, we catch ourselves creating drama and looking for the rescuer.

We quit smoking, but we smoke again.

We went out to eat with friends and blew the diet. (And if you are continually on diets and still believe they work?  There's someone you should talk to.)

We let that job we hate get to us again, forgetting that we have an exit strategy in place.

Or We Didn't Do It Again

We've been making changes and doing great, so we 'take a break'.  

We've been working out, and decide we can skip just one. Nothing 'bad' happens, so we skip another.

Or we've been doing 'inner work' and journaling and using new tools that have been working, and since we feel better, we stop -- just for a bit.

Or we skip working on our new business for a week, sitting in front of the TV instead, and suddenly realize we really do hate that job.  

What We Usually Do

This is the part where we generally start to beat ourselves up.  We say things to ourselves we would never say to anyone else.  "I blew it."  "Maybe this is just the way it is and I should just accept being stuck." "This is never going to work."  

What Is Really Going On

Look.  It happens.  It happens to all of us.  

But before skipping one workout leads to skipping workouts for a month and then six months, just.....notice.

Accept it.  Cut yourself some slack.  Stop beating yourself up.  Just notice it.  Ask what lead to the 'slip'.  See it as the chance to learn more about why you have done what it is you've done (which is all it is) -- and then move on.

Step out of your own drama you're starting to create, and get back to it.

Get back to eating right.  Get back to the gym.  Get back to work.  Get back to setting healthy boundaries.

If you do that?

Then a 'slip' is all it'll be.  Stay aware and catch it early and just get back to doing the good things you've been doing.

All the best!

deb

P.S.  Do you know where you want to be in 5 years?  Do you know what your values are and you living in line with them?  Do you want to enhance your creativity or live a more creative, fulfilling life?  If you need help in those areas, see what changes people have experienced and what they're saying about this telecourse.  Space is limited and registration ends Friday, July 31 - so sign up today. 

stress & tension (what dissonance in music can teach us about life)

Have you ever been in a situation that didn't feel quite right? Something just felt 'off'? 

Have you ever seen the movie Jaws? Do you remember that music? The two notes churning against themselves that let us know as we looked at the calm water that the shark was beginning to approach? 

Maybe that's what your 'things aren't quite right' feeling would sound like. 

Those two notes? In Jaws? That's dissonance. 

In music, dissonance is a chord or a progression that includes notes that aren't in harmony with the rest of the music. It's used to create tension. It keeps us on edge. We hold our breath until the chord finally resolves.   What can dissonance teach us about change or stress in our lives?  

Well first, bear with me for a bit of a music lesson.

Dissonant Chords are Often Prepared 

Tension occurs in the music leading up to the dissonant chord or passage. 

We hear it begin. We know it's coming. We begin to anticipate it. 

The strategy is used in movies as well. As our hero stealthily walks the darkened corridor, his back sliding slightly against the wall, approaching the corner, we begin to hear it. The music begins and clues us in. 

Dissonant Passages Can Be Approached By Leaps, or By Steps 

There are two ways that dissonant passages occur in music. 

One way is step by step. The music leads us, almost gently, into the tension. 

The other way? The other way is by making a huge leap from harmony to dissonance that takes us by surprise, jarring us. 

Dissonant Passages are Transitionary 

Inevitably, in music, the dissonant passage resolves. 

Harmony is restored. We can finally exhale. 

If you watched Ben Zander's video posted last week, it's what he describes as the moment in music when we're finally home. The harmony feels like home. 

What Does This Have to Do With Anything? 

We all have circumstances and changes that occur in our lives that bring stress and tension along with them.

 

Sometimes, maybe in the case of a job loss, they're changes that we don't want. But we can make the process easier.   Remember:

1)  It's Prepared: We receive signals in our lives. Just as music leads up to a dissonant passage and we begin to become aware that it's on it's way, we often receive a gentle nudge, a certain 'knowing', that something isn't right. 

2)  It Can Be a Leap or By Steps: If we're paying attention and are aware in our lives, changes tend to come about more in terms of steps.  We pay attention when we stop being invited to key meetings at work, and begin to take actions to put us in a better position if what begins to appear inevitable happens. 

If we're not paying attention, we can be jarred into dissonance by a leap. We ignored the signs that we were no longer being invited to key meetings at work, and that layoffs were coming. And then we feel blind-sided and shocked and are completely unprepared when the layoffs come. 

3)  It's Transitionary: As the music leads us back 'home', it again tends to happen in steps. As we deal with the dissonant times in our lives, it's good to keep in mind that as long as we're taking positive steps and doing the things that are right for us, we will get to the point of resolution. We will get back in harmony. Things will feel right again. 

Learn to listen. Listen to the cues that tell you that something isn't quite right, that a dissonant passage is approaching. It's not about avoiding the passage all together, but you can negotiating it in a way that will be less jarring and will resolve more quickly. 

All the best! 

deb

P.S.  Do you know where you want to be in 5 years?  Are you dealing with dissonance, a time of transition & stress?  If you need help in those areas, see what changes people have experienced and what they're saying about this telecourse.  The next group starts August 4th, but space is limited and registration ends July 31.  So check it out.  

entrepreneurs: desperation is still a turn-off

Reading Jo's post yesterday on desperation as it applies in the academic world, I was reminded of a post of mine from way back that I'd updated last year specifically regarding job searches.  

Regardless of whether you're searching for a job with a company (in any industry), or starting your own business and searching for clients:  desperation is still a turn-off.

Things We Become Tempted To Do

1.  Get too attached to landing a certain client - We could determine that we need to land one specific client.  We think that if we get that particular 'big fish', then others will automatically follow.  We get it in our head that if you get this one, everything will be just fine. 

In the meantime, while we’re chasing that one potential client, we miss the three who are knocking at the door asking for more information on our services.  

2) Putting down your competitors (or even other clients)- Being negative about competitors just doesn’t work.  It comes back to the same reason people searching for a job are advised never to say anything negative about a previous employer.  

It doesn't make your competitor, or prior employer, or anyone else look bad.  It makes you look angry and bitter and possibly difficult to work with.

3)  Cutting pricing entirely too low - If your strategy is just to be cheaper than everyone else, you need a new strategy.  

Think about it.  If you were looking for a website designer, would you trust the one offering an entire website for $25 who ignores the scope of the project to produce a great site for your business?  Didn’t think so. 

4)  Thinking short-term - We become entirely focused on today.  We become entirely focused on where our business is right now. 

This could lead you to take projects that are too large for too little money, leading to a constant chasing for more and more small projects that you don’t really make any money on.

Long-term?  You'll end up burnt out and frustrated because you'll constantly be chasing small projects that pay you too little for the work you're doing.

Some Things You Need to Know

It comes down to knowing your worth, knowing what solutions you have to offer, and knowing that you're good at what you do.  Have you done your homework?

Have you taken the time to get to know what clients are right for you to work with?  Have you taken the time to learn how they like to be approached and what works for them?  

Or are you just desperate for anyone to pay you any amount of money to do anything?  If you are, you need to go back.  You have work you need to do before you even approach your next client.  

All the best!

deb

P.S.  Don't forget to sign up for the newsletter in that cool little box in the right sidebar.

(There are exciting things coming up and you'll want to stay updated!)  

the sound of settling (challenge yourself)

"There is no passion to be found in playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living."  - Nelson Mandela How often do people around us tell us, directly or indirectly, to play small?  How often do we tell ourselves that this is all there is going to be in life, so we may as well get used to it?  Is that really what we want our lives to be?

People Keep Telling Us It’s Over (But We Know Better)

I recently read one of those, “If you’re a woman who isn’t married by a certain age, you have a better chance of being killed by a terrorist than settling down” articles.  And I have to admit that it got to me for a minute.  (By the way, this article?  If you’re a single mom?  Apparently, you’re just supposed to forget it entirely.)

Then I remembered that this article is based on the assumption that all women want to procreate.  And it also skips the assumption that perhaps those of us who settled the first time around are a little more self-aware, self-assured, and more discriminating as we consider options of taking a 2nd plunge.  (Or that we all even want to do that.)

But yes, we’re adults.  And there are compromises to be made in living life.  We (and I’m taking the liberty of speaking for some of my girlfriends here as well) aren’t angry.  We’re not bitter.  We’re just more self-aware, self-assured, and discriminating than we used to be.  We’re not waiting for Brad Pitt to show up at the door.  Actually, we’re smart enough to know that Brad Pitt might be a real pain in the butt to live with.  But it does take more than the gorgeous, popular guy we were attracted to in our 20s.  We’ve raised the bar.  We’ve raised the standards.

Or there’s this client I’ve been working with.  He hated his job.  I’m serious.  He hated his job as much as anyone I’ve ever known who hated their job.  At first, he would go on and on about how much he hated his job and then go on and on about how his education, his background, his experience, his responsibilities, all just meant that he had to suck it up and be miserable in this thing that takes up more time in his life than anything else.  Oh.  And now he’s got his age to consider.  

Until one day when he read one of those “do what you love and the money will follow” articles that assumes that he knew what he loved to do and that what he really wanted was to chuck it all to go raise alpacas in the mountains somewhere, uprooting his family to some remote location as well.  Nevermind what kind of education the kids would get in this place.

But of course, he’s adult.  And there are compromises to be made.  That article, as misguided as it was, at least opened the door for him to see other possibilities.  He began to see that, especially since he liked the actual work he was doing, he could find a more suitable work environment that would allow him to be happy doing something he did actually like doing, while still supporting his family in the lifestyle they’d become accustomed.  

Suddenly, he knew what he really wanted.  And being miserable in his job wasn’t acceptable anymore.  He had raised the bar.  He raised his standards.

Where Are You Holding Back?

“Well, I used to run marathons but then I started having problems with my knees, so I can’t work out anymore.”  Really?  You can’t work with a trainer to start strength training?  Or do yoga?  Or anything?  Your only other choice is to sit on the couch, and take all the health problems that come along with becoming more and more overweight?

But It’s Not That Bad......

Is that really something to shoot for?  Is that really what we all want to say towards the end of our life?  “Meh.  It was okay.  I had a great run when I was younger.”  

Challenge Yourself

Whatever area it is that you’ve let yourself take compromise so far that it’s really, in essence, giving up.....stop it.  Today.  Sit down and start looking for the other possibilities in between the two extremes.  And then set a higher standard than where you’ve been living.  

But ultimately, it’s up to you.  

In the end, wouldn’t you rather look back and say, “Wow.  I’m glad I never gave up.  I’m glad I kept challenging myself and moving forward -- because things just kept getting better.  What an amazing ride the past 5 years have been......”  

But you've got to do the work.  It's up to you.  No one is going to do it for you.  (You can get help figuring it all out.  But ultimately, it's still up to you.)

Is 'getting by' really enough?

What standards do you need to raise?

Where can you start today?

All the best!

deb

P.S.  Do you know where you want to be in 5 years?  Do you know what your values are and you living in line with them?  Do you want to enhance your creativity or live a more creative, fulfilling life?  If you need help in those areas, see what changes people have experienced and what they're saying about this telecourse.  Space is limited and registration ends Friday, July 31 - so sign up today. 

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